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McGregor Scott, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, says federal officials will assist local authorities in combating fraudulent schemes related to the Camp Fire. (Andre Byik — Enterprise-Record)

OROVILLE — Top local and federal law enforcement officials appeared together Wednesday in a show of force, warning Camp Fire survivors of fraudsters seeking to take advantage them.

Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey and McGregor Scott, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of California, led a news conference at the District Attorney’s Office and vowed to investigate cases of possible price gouging, bogus housing listings and identity theft, among other fraudulent schemes.

“Although the fire has been put out, now is a time that there is the expectation that folks will come and try to prey upon the survivors of the Camp Fire,” Ramsey said, adding, “There is the expectation that the vultures will be circling.”

Officials said they have identified cases of fraudulent online rental advertisements seeking to obtain financial information, stolen identities to obtain FEMA money and an uptick in traditional phone scams trying to get Social Security numbers.

Several investigations have been opened, officials said, but no fraud-related arrests have been announced.

“Unfortunately, we already have a number of active investigations of FEMA fraud undergoing as a result of the Camp Fire, and we will very vigorously prosecute these cases,” Scott said. “The true hammer that we can bring in this set of consequences is what we call aggravated identity theft, which carries a two-year mandatory minimum sentence in a federal penitentiary.”

Some ways people can guard against fraud include ensuring the legitimacy of charitable organizations, withholding personal and financial information sought in unsolicited calls, messages and emails, regularly reviewing financial accounts and thoroughly researching housing advertisements before sending money to potential landlords, said Sean Ragan, FBI special agent in charge of the Sacramento field office.

The public can also report possible fraudulent activity to the District Attorney’s Office’s fraud hotline at 1-866-323-7283, or to the National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline at 1-866-720-5721.

“The last thing that we want to see,” Ragan said, “is unscrupulous individuals preying on folks that are already hurting and trying to take advantage of them, like committing various types of fraud.”

Camp Fire

The Butte County Sheriff’s Office said Wednesday that the number of people who remain unaccounted for following the Camp Fire stood at three.

The number dead remained at 86, and no human remains were recovered Wednesday. Of the 86 fatalities, 30 people have been tentatively identified, and 53 people have been positively identified.

The Sheriff’s Office released the name of one more person who died in connection with the fire. The person was identified as Rose Farrell, 99, of Paradise.

Insurance claims

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones announced Wednesday that preliminary data indicates $9 billion in direct incurred losses as a result of the Camp, Woolsey and Hill fires. That number is expected to rise as more claims are processed and more insurers and policyholders are able to access the burn areas.

Jones declined to estimate how much that number could rise in the coming months. Officials said the Camp Fire, which destroyed nearly 14,000 homes and 530 commercial buildings, has generated so far 9,635 claims resulting in total loss, and $7 billion in incurred losses.

“The devastating wildfires of 2018 were the deadliest and costliest wildfire catastrophes in California’s history,” Jones said in a statement. “The tragic deaths of 88 people and over $9 billion in insured losses to date are shocking numbers — behind the insured loss numbers are thousands of people who’ve been traumatized by unfathomable loss.”

Jones said his department has issued a notice to insurers asking them to expedite claims by immediately issuing checks for four months of out-of-pocket costs and doing what they can to help policyholders who have little or none of the documentation insurers usually require.

Debris removal

Officials said several community meetings regarding fire debris removal will be held in the coming week.

Property owners can attend a meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at the State Theatre in Oroville at 1489 Myers St.

Another meeting will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13, at Spring Valley School, 2771 Pentz Road near Highway 70.

Other meetings are scheduled for 6:30 pm. Monday, Dec. 17, at Calvary Chapel Church in Chico at 1888 Springfield Drive, and at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the Veterans Memorial Hall in Chico at 554 Rio Lindo Ave.

Andre Byik is the public safety reporter for the Chico Enterprise-Record, where he covers crime, courts and breaking news. A Chico State University graduate, he has worked at daily newspapers since 2012.